Lauren Owens

Dr. Mayer

MCM 309

29 September 2017

Greg Sanches: The Sheriff of Angelina County

The Angelina County Sheriffs Department strives to make the local community as safe

as possible, and to hold a high position there, one would have to be dedicated to this cause.

Greg Sanches, the sheriff of Angelina County, has brown eyes and gray hair. He often

wears a hat and a polo shirt.

Sanches is a hard-working man who will do whatever it takes to make sure his

community is thriving. He has devoted his whole life to law enforcement, causing him to be

experienced in the field.

Sanches was born and raised in Hudson, Texas. He graduated from Hudson ISD and

attended Angelina College, where he earned a degree in criminal justice. He started his first job

at the Angelina County Sheriffs Office in January 1981.

In April 1983, Sanches began schooling at the Texas Department of Public Safety

Training Academy. After graduation, he worked for the state as a highway patrol officer for 29

years. This job meant a lot to him because he was able to help other agencies and keep drivers

away from possible dangers on the road.

We arrested a lot of DWIs, Sanches said, which I felt good about because we were

saving peoples lives by getting drunk drivers off the road. It meant a lot to me to be able to save

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peoples lives by doing that.

After his career at the DPS office, Sanches worked in safety education. During the course

of this job, he participated in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program and talked to youth

groups about making good life choices. His favorite part of working in safety education was

being able to meet the public and form relations with the media.

In 2012, Sanches ran for sheriff and won the election. He has since been doing his best to

further maintain the safety of Angelina County.

Its an administrative job, Sanches said. Youre over 115 employees, and youre

responsible for the jail, which is on an average of 250 inmates.

Other responsibilities hes faced as sheriff include warrants, civil papers and meetings

dealing with public or other officials in the county. Such a job requires a well-trained, dedicated

person to fulfill it.

Although being sheriff is hard work, Sanches has many fond memories of his time in this

position. One of his favorite moments so far has been getting stickers for the department cars that

read In God We Trust.

That was really neat because it triggered off other departments doing it and other

counties and cities throughout the state, Sanches said. A lot of people jumped on board.

He has also enjoyed keeping a garden at the jail for inmates to work in. The produce

grown there is used later as food for them, and gardening has proved to help build their self-

esteem.

Watching the rise of technology play into his job was another notable memory for

Sanches, such as putting computers in patrol cars. When he arrived, none of the cars had

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computers. Their addition has made the drivers jobs a lot easier.

Its GPS-involved so the dispatcher can track the deputy for safety reasons, Sanches

said. Thats a good thing.

Sanches still lives in Hudson, on about 30 acres of family land. He has a wife, Lenette

Sanches, who works under content mastery at Anderson Elementary School. He also has two

children, Brianna Sanches and Grant Hightower, and a brother, Terry Sanches.

Outside his job as sheriff, Sanches hobbies include Civil War reenacting, shooting and

motorcycle riding. He also loves to go camping with his wife in their RV and boating on the lake

near his home.

He attends Harmony Hill Baptist Church and is involved with the local Masonic

community. Both require a lot of community service and volunteer work.

Throughout his career in law enforcement, Sanches has relied on faith in God, honesty

and being a good role model. In the future, he wants to see the Angelina County Sheriffs

Department advance even further, and he said he will do anything in his power to help it do so.

For now, he wants to continue saving lives and ensuring the safety of his community as

long as he can.

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